The Retrospective Examination of the Reports for the Children with Disabilities Prepared by the Disability Board of Ege University Medical School

Abstract

© The Journal of Current Pediatrics, published by Galenos Publishing. Introduction: To have a child with a disability, whatever the disability is, brings many challenges. In this study, in the light of the related legislation for the determination of the rate of disability, it was aimed to create awareness for the causes of childhood disability and about the problems faced in reporting. Materials and Methods: Reports of subjects under the age of 18 prepared by The Disability Health Board of Ege University between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2013 regarding age, gender, type and causes of application (personal-formal), disability, disability cause and rates, the reported date and the validity periods of the reports were evaluated retrospectively. The obtained data were analyzed with statistical software. Results: Of 8104 reports, 2839 belonged to children. Of the patients, 978 were females and 1861 were males. The mean age was 7.0±4.6 years. Of the applications, 99.2% were personal applications and the most common reason for application was to have special education (81.6%). 61.4% of the subjects had only one disability. The disability rate of 17.3% was below 40%. Conclusions: Among the countries’ development indicators, the quality of life of the disabled population and the quality of services offered to disabled people occupy an important place. In both national and international platforms, it is necessary to make regulations for prevention of disability, for solution of disabled people’s problems related to health, education, rehabilitation, employment and social security and also for ensuring their participation in society.